What our Clients Say

Premier Cooling - Working together for success

Clarkson Hyde has worked as accountants and advisors to Premier Cooling, a family business specialising in the supply and maintenance of air conditioning and ventilation systems, since 1994. Based in Nork in Surrey, Premier Cooling is run by husband and wife team John and Ann, with the help of their three sons David, Keith and Graham, David's wife Lisa, Lisa's son Stefan and Graham's friend Gareth - their only non-family employee.

John said: "We are a family business dedicated to providing our clients with a great, reliable service and a professional and friendly approach to doing business and so it is important for us to find the same in any company we work with.

"Clarkson Hyde have been our advisors since our start-up days when it was just Ann and I, through to the multi-service family business we are now, with our newest trainee recruit being Lisa's son Stefan. We even have a small desk with a telephone for our grandson Ollie who we hope will help the family business grow in the future!

"Our lead partner, Peter Minchell, has always taken a proactive role in helping us to develop the business based on our objectives for its growth, keeping it very much as a tight-knit and efficient family business rather than growing it to a national company which is difficult to manage and can lack the personal touch in client service. We value that we can call on other specialists at Clarkson Hyde, such as for complicated tax issues, whenever we need them. What's more, Peter and the team take a commercial as well as professional view when we need advice."

Peter Minchell said: "Premier are a great family business with a family ethos, which comes through in the service they provide to their clients. Being one of them, we can certainly give testament to that! The team and I are looking forward to working with them, and their sons and daughter-in-law as the next generation of the business, well into the future."

Toolbank - 60 years of helping drive the business forward...

Toolbank is one of Europe's leading specialist distributors of Hand and Power Tools to the retail industry. Trading throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland, Toolbank specialises in the distribution of quality hand and power tools made by many of the world's leading tool manufacturers. It operates from 13 strategically placed warehouses throughout the United Kingdom. The Toolbank group of companies employ over 700 staff and are amongst the leaders in their industry, with annual turnover in excess of £100m.

Clarkson Hyde's relationship with the early trading company, Curtis Holt, and the Toolbank Group as it stands now, spans over 60 years, first meeting the current owners in 1972 whilst working for the "other side" on the acquisition deal.

John Twallin, CEO of Toolbank said: "We were very impressed by Clarkson Hyde in the way they handled the acquisition project. Their attention to detail and understanding of the company really gave us confidence in their ability and so we continued with them as auditors following the deal."

"Having worked with most of the Clarkson Hyde partners on a variety of different issues, from day to day planning to more long term strategic projects, I am pleased to say that they have provided us with excellent support and invaluable expertise and advice."

Clarkson Hyde partner Malcolm Coomber commented: "We've seen Toolbank go from strength to strength, growing from about half a million turnover company in 1972 at the point of the acquisition to the £110m turnover company it is now - an astounding growth of 22,000 percent! We are delighted to have played a modest part in that success and look forward to working with the Toolbank team to help them grow further in the future."

Ascot Mining - Hyde Helps Ascot Strike Gold

We were delighted to assist gold producer Ascot Mining plc achieve a listing on the PLUS Market to support the development of their international business.

Ascot Mining's initial strategy is to become a substantial gold producer by acquiring existing gold concessions in Costa Rica and then bringing them into production through a programme of refurbishment. They expect that the admission to PLUS will give them the ability to enter into negotiations with vendors where the issue of publicly traded shares as consideration is potentially more attractive than the issue of shares in an equivalent private company.

Our team, led by Colin Ellis, was recommended by Ascot's corporate adviser to act as Reporting Accountants. Ascot MD David Jackson said: "Hyde's speed of response, knowledge of PLUS' Requirements of us and attention to detail were key factors in our successful listing. Having searched to find the right firm we were introduced to Colin the week before our admission. That was on the Thursday. Hyde started work for us the next day and the whole admission process was completed and announced the following Wednesday!

"Hyde really stepped up and met a very tight deadline, helping us to achieve a major milestone in our development."

Therma Screens - Clarkson Hyde provides assurance to seal the acquisition of Rollatherm

Therma Screens is an industrial blind manufacturer for refrigeration and freezer cabinets, supplying to the large supermarket chains and smaller food retailing businesses. From a manufacturing base in Northampton, they have become a world leader in their industry, with substantial growth potential, making the company an exciting acquisition for Kirin Kopalan.

Clarkson Hyde partner Michael Clark said "Kirin approached us at a point where initial acquisition negotiations had concluded and both parties where keen to sign the deal. We were delighted to be appointed for the due diligence review and worked closely with Kirin, the Therma Screens team and acquisition advisors to ensure a speedy turn around.

I am pleased we played a part in helping Kirin acquire a thriving business which looks set to go from strength to strength under his team's management in the years ahead."

Kirin Kopalan commented "Michael Clark and his team were superb. We needed to check that everything stacked up and this was a fundamental part of the deal. They were a delight to work with - always keeping me posted with progress, advising on key issues as well as providing a professional, detailed report which enabled us to conclude the deal with peace of mind.

I can't fault their attitude, responsiveness and expertise - all of which made the due diligence process run smoothly and without delay. In fact, I have been so pleased with their work on the due diligence project that I've decided to appoint them as auditors of the business going forward."

Robore Group - Clarkson Hyde helps growing business cut it!

London based Robore Group is the UK's leading Diamond Drilling, Diamond Sawing and Controlled Demolition contractor, providing a specialist service to the construction industry. The company was formed in 1986 and is now one of the largest organisations of its kind with an annual turnover of over £6 million, employing over 100 staff.

At a point where their growth was accelerating, they felt that their existing advisors could no longer meet their requirements in terms of the level and breadth of service offered.

Paul Nattrass of Robore said: "Our bank recommended Clarkson Hyde to us to assist with our audit, accounting and tax requirements. We have found them to be down to earth, highly focussed and always on hand to run through the details. Their partners really do take the time to understand the business and have provided us with commercial and practical advice."

"After getting to know Clarkson Hyde, we went on to work with Hyde Corporate Finance on the management buy out of the business. Their flair for negotiations was invaluable in getting the deal completed. It's a tribute to the way they do business that Hyde continues to work for both the buyers and sellers!"

Clarkson Hyde partner Peter Minchell commented: "The position Robore was in was not unfamiliar. We have seen many clients come to us because they are unhappy with advisors who can no longer meet the demands of their business. They find that, as their business expands, they simply outgrow smaller advisors and need a higher level of service.

We are delighted to have been able to work with Robore over the last three years, building a strong relationship and understanding of their goals to help them drive the business forward."

Brookvex - A joined up approach to helping them grow their business

Brookvex is an established company specialising in consultancy, design and installation of electrical, security, networking and communications systems. They provide customers in both the public and private sectors with a highly tailored service to suit their individual requirements.

The company have worked with hundreds of customers since they started business, in often very challenging environments such as railway track sites, listed buildings, schools and prisons.

The relationship between Clarkson Hyde and Brookvex is a close one, spanning a number of years, during which time we have helped meet their audit, tax and business advisory needs.

Clarkson Hyde Partner Peter Minchell commented: "With Brookvex, we've had an opportunity to assist in a wide variety of different areas and it's been great to see how the company has progressed since we first started to work with them. They have a strong offering to their own customers, providing a very specialised and individualised service, and we are delighted to be able to support them, so that they can get on with what they are best at."

MD Mick Davidson said: "I have been extremely pleased with the level of service we've received from Clarkson Hyde - from the partners through to the tax and audit teams. They are on our level, helpful and provide practical advice to help us grow the business.

They have been involved in a number of key changes in our business, including assisting with the share valuation for the buy-out of a material shareholder and then re-structuring the share capital to involve the new management team. They have also helped us retain key staff with a tax incentivised employee reward scheme.

Ultimately, they are highly proactive advisors who stay one step ahead to help us to enhance our profitability and achieve our goals for the future."